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GAO-12-72R 1 (2011-10-20)

handle is hein.gao/gaobacfkg0001 and id is 1 raw text is: GA . Accauntabday I nt~gdy Rehb~ l October 20, 2011 The Honorable Thomas R. Carper Chairman Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs United States Senate Subject: Potential Financial Effect on the U.S. Postal Service of Increased Voting by Mail Dear Mr. Chairman: The United States Postal Service (USPS) is in a serious financial crisis and has not generated sufficient revenue to cover its expenses and financial obligations as mail volume continues to decline. You requested that we examine how much additional revenue could result from the increased use of voting by mail-that is, more registered voters receiving and casting ballots through the mail. Currently, all states use voting by mail to some degree, most commonly in the form of absentee ballots mailed to registered voters who cannot, or choose not to, vote in person on Election Day.1 However, Oregon and Washington now administer elections solely through mail voting. According to a 2009 U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) study, about 23.7 million ballots, or 17.7 percent of all votes, were cast by mail in the 2008 presidential election.2 This report documents information on the revenue potential of increased use of voting by mail that we presented to your office on August 17, 2011. This information is based on our estimate of the effect increased voting by mail could have on USPS's volume and revenue, details of which are described below; our review and analysis of reports on the trends in voting by mail, states' and localities' experiences with mail voting, and attitudes and voting patterns of registered voters; and meetings 1Absentee voting is broadly defined as casting a ballot in advance of an election, usually by mail. All states and the District of Columbia have provisions allowing voters to cast their ballot before Election Day by voting absentee, although they vary in terms of who may vote absentee, whether the voter needs an excuse, and the time frames for applying and submitting absentee ballots. For further discussion of election administration, see GAO, Elections: The Nation's Evolving Election System as Reflected in the November 2004 General Election, GAO=06-450 (Washington, D.C.: June 6, 2006). 2U.S. Election Assistance Commission, The 2008 Election Administration and Voting Survey: A Summary of Key Findings (Washington, D.C.: November 2009). The Help America Vote Act of 2002 established the EAC as an independent, bipartisan commission charged with developing guidance to meet the act's requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and serving as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration, among other things. 42 U.S.C. §§ 15321 et seq. GAO-12-72R Voting by Mail Page 1

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